Tuesday, December 30, 2008

Administered by Israel, paid for by the US and tolerated by Arab rulers, Gaza is an open air concentration camp where snipers take pot shots at children, aircraft shoot missiles into crowds, and bulldozers randomly destroy homes with impunity. The recent mass assault is only the latest in a long string of atrocities.

Dishonest news outlets like the Associated Press talk about the bombing of the Gaza tunnels without pointing out that for over a year they are the only source of food, medicine, and other necessities for one million people walled in and surrounded by homicidal psychopaths.

U.S.-supplied Israeli F-16 warplanes and Apache helicopters have fired missiles and dropped over 100 tons of bombs on dozens of locations in the Israeli-occupied Gaza Strip. Over 300 people are dead and at least 1,400 more are injured. Many if not most of them are civilians. Food and medicine were already in short supply in Gaza and all medical facilities have been completely overwhelmed by this onslaught. Access to Gaza has been cut off by Israel.

This video documents the effect of just ONE missile attack. Israel's criminally psychopathic government is currently raining them down on one of the most densely populated areas in the world. Roughly half the population of Gaza is under 18 years old.

In London, England, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Israeli Embassy, waving flags and trying to push their way closer to the building, as police tried to hold them back and erect a barricade.

Police in Germany said about 2,000 protesters marched peacefully down Berlin's Kurfuerstendamm Boulevard and dispersed after about three hours.

Protesters also have taken to the streets in Denmark, France, Italy and Spain, according to news reports. There also were reports of demonstrations in Caracas, Venezuela.

Iranian media reported that thousands took part in anti-Israel demonstrations in Tehran on Monday, which the government declared a day of mourning for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Photographs of the rallies posted by Iran's semi-official Fars News Agency showed black-shrouded women and men holding shoes in the air -- widely considered an insult in the Middle East -- while others held Palestinian flags and signs that said "Down with U.S.A." in English and Farsi.

Greek riot police clashed with protesters in Athens during a demonstration outside the Israeli Embassy, according to police and images broadcast on state television.

If you were a captive of the US mind control police (i.e. the corporate news media) you'd believe two things:

1. Israel is "defending" itself against the Palestinians.

2. All Israelis support their government's policy of endless war against Palestiniancivilians.

It's this second lie that the US-Israeli media mafia guards most closely - and desperately hopes Americans never figure out. Contrary to Israeli war party propaganda in the US, not all Jews and not all Israelis support Israel's Nazi-like conduct in the Occupied Territories. This simple fact is probably the single most censored piece of news in the United States. Here are some young people heading to prison because they won't join the genocide.WATCH THIS SHORT VIDEO

"I refuse to enlist in the Israeli military on conscientious grounds. I am not willing to become part of an occupying army, that has been an invader of foreign lands for decades, which perpetuates a racist regime of robbery in these lands, tyrannizes civilians and makes life difficult for millions under a false pretext of security."

Friday, December 26, 2008

Jerome Corsi, who writes for the right-wing rag, the WORLD NUT DAILY, has outdone himself as his relentless attacks on Barack Obama continue. To start out, Corsi is NOT a neutral reporter. He claims that an Obama presidency would, in his words, be "a repeat of the failed extremist politics that have characterized and plagued Democratic Party politics since the late 1960s." A Corsi book claims that Obama is a dangerous, radical candidate for president and includes innuendoes and false rumors such as he was raised a Muslim and attended a radical black church. Corsi made a trip to Kenya to try to prove that Obama was actually born there and was deported for his conduct in that country.

This is the background of the man who has written the following article for WORLD NUT DAILY: "Rezco Attorney "Owns" Obama Mansion". His article relies upon information in an article posted on an insignificant right-wing blog called: News and Commentary for Thinking People, in which it is pointed out that property tax bills on Obama's property are sent to the "owner", William Miceli, an attorney for the law firm that put together the real estate transaction. That article is very revealing. The author, Gina Cobb, knows nothing about the use of a land trust for holding title. Neither does Jerome Corsi. His article tries to sensationalize the fact that Barack Obama's home in Chicago is listed as owned by Miceli and infers that there is something sinister, unethical or illegal about this. Here is Corsi's revelation:

WND confirmed the tax bill for the Obama home is mailed to Miceli, not to Obama or the Northern Trust account through which Obama has claimed the home was purchased. Records from the Cook County Treasurer's Office give the PIN number for the Obama property as 20-11-115-037-0000 and list Miceli as the person who receives Obama's property tax invoice by mail. Eric Herman, a spokesman for the Cook County assessor, confirmed to WND that the Treasurer's Office records were correct and that Miceli did receive the Obama property tax invoice by mail.

THE IGNORANCE OF CORSI AND COBB

Corsi and Cobb give passing reference to the fact that this transaction was set up using a land trust, but since neither understand how a land trust works or why it is used, both just ignore it and insist that Attorney Miceli owns Obama's property and therefore something untoward must have occurred.

As a Certified Land Trust Specialist, I am very knowledgeable when it comes to this method of holding title. The land trust concept, fully developed by Chicago Title Company in the 1920's, is now fully accepted in the US as the preferred arrangement by which one person can hold property for the benefit and use of another. It is a method that provides anonymity for the homeowner as well as asset protection, in that the property is shielded from liens and encumbrances.

A Land Trust has been in use throughout the United States for more than 100 years. It has the effect of converting ownership of real property to ownership of personal property, even though such ownership is characterized for income tax purpose as ownership in real estate. The primary purpose of the trust is to provide its beneficiaries a practical, economical (and anonymous) alternative form of real estate ownership and use.

Because both legal and equitable title is held in the name of the Trustee, all notices related to the property including property tax notices are sent to the Trustee. This is normal in all land trust transactions and IS NOT THE BLOCKBUSTER BREAKING NEWS that Corsi would like us all to believe. Responsibility for payment of the mortgage as well as property taxes, etc., rests with the Beneficiary (the Obamas). This is standard procedure in any land trust transaction. In fact, Disneyland was purchased using a land trust, which is used by the wealthy and many public figures for privacy purposes.

I use a land trust for my own home. My property tax bill is sent to my Trustee as the title holder. Responsibility for payment is mine. It's not brain surgery.

It would be really nice if Corsi would put his Harvard PhD to better use than running around the world trying to find something, ANYTHING, to discredit Barack Obama. He is becoming an embarrassment to himself and the rest of the right-wing nutcases who are pursuing the same path such as Berg, Donofrio, Martin, etc.

Let's support our President-elect and let these nutcase "authors" continue their mindless drivel in their solitude.

Sunday, December 21, 2008

One of the theories about the decline of the Roman Empire is that the Romans didn't understand (or respect) the toxicity of lead. Among other mistakes in handling the metal, they made eating and drinking utensils out of it thus poisoning themselves and weakening their society.

People in the United States used to eat relatively unadulterated food and drink relatively pure water. "Exercise" happened naturally in the course of everyday living. We can survive the banking crisis, but I'm not sure we can survive the societally imposed healthcrisis. Unfortunately, the cause - and cure - for the health crisis is not well known or widely understood.

This well done video is an eye-opening compilation of all the ways America is currently poisoning itself.

As the departing Bush administration frantically attempts to shore up or distort its place in history, MSNBC's Keith Olbermann stands ready to kick the props out from under it again. A renewed claim that "no one could have anticipated" the attacks of 9/11 attracted his scorn in particular on Thursday's Countdown.

"This is a White House talking point still, even though your average three-year-old could disprove it using an etch-a-sketch." Olbermann sneered on Thursday, over the heading, "Insult the Dead-gate."

Olbermann's specific target was White House press spokesman Tony Fratto, who responded to a Fox News interviewer's suggestion on Wednesday that before 9/11, "nobody was thinking that there'd be terrorists flying 767s into buildings" by agreeing, "No one could have anticipated that kind of attack -- or very few people."

"Yeah, well, it ain't true," Olbermann remarked, with open contempt dripping from his words, "and out of respect for the people who died that day you damn well better stop saying it."

Olbermann then ran through a list of pre-9/11 warnings of potential al Qaeda hijackings, noting, "A president's daily brief as far back as December 1998 said bin Laden was 'preparing to hijack US aircraft in hopes of trading hostages for jailed radicals.' ... The August 6, 2001 brief, of course, told President Bush -- if he read it -- that there were 'patterns of suspicious activity in this country consistent with preparations for hijackings.'"

Olbermann did not mention either the use of airplanes as weapons by the Japanese kamikaze suicide pilots during World War II or the abortive al Qaeda plot of the 1990's known as Project Bojinka, which would have involved both blowing up airliners and crashing a plane into CIA headquarters in Virginia and which may have been the inspiration for 9/11.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

That's how much time is remaining in the Bush reign of terror. He succeeded in raiding the Treasury immediately upon entering office to pay back his wealthy donors and friends; he ignored warnings about the threat of bin Laden and, in fact, CUT SPENDING on terrorism prior to 9/11. He was on a 30-day vacation in Texas just prior to 9/11, then was babysat by brother, Jeb, in Florida during the attack. Here's a curious note on Jeb, who has designs on running for the Senate in Florida, a stepping stone to a Presidential run. He declared martial law in Florida on Sept. 7, 2001, four (4) days BEFORE the attacks. But that's another subject for another day.

W led us into a war that should never have been waged, and intentionally made outsourcing of our highest paying jobs to other countries a necessity as part of his plan for a global economy. It was necessary for W to drive America towards becoming a third world country. It was the exact philosophy preached by his grandfather, Prescott. W bankrupted every company or government he ever headed, and this is his biggest accomplishment. His legacy: Two (2) wars and the GREAT DEPRESSION OF 2009.

WATCH THIS VIDEO AND ASK YOURSELF HOW ANYONE VOTED FOR HIM A 2nd TIME.

Thankfully, Barack Obama will assume the duties of office in just 31 days. He has an enormous task ahead of him and will literally have to replace every department head appointed by W. over 8 years. The government will have to be changed from the bottom up. He has already committed to reviewing over 200 Executive Orders from Bush.

COMMON SENSE

Over the next month, we will post common sense money-saving solutions to some of the problems awaiting Mr. Obama. Our government wastes untold billions of dollars every year. Let's come up with some creative solutions we can send to the administration as positive suggestions. It's not about Obama, it's about US. Just ask him:

There are so many things that can be modified or discontinued that would save us millions and make life easier. For instance, The War on Drugs is a scam designed to put billions into the hands of law enforcement, private corporate prisons, and the companies who have contracts to provide goods and services. Over 700,000 people are incarcerated every year for simple marijuana possession. There has never been one recorded overdose or death from marijuana. Not one in centuries of use. Why are these people in jail? Do you realize the costs to society and the effect on their families, jobs, etc.?

Tobacco kills 400,000 people per year and our government subsidizes tobacco farmers to grow it. Common sense or outright greed??? We have a lot to talk about in the coming weeks. Stay tuned . . .

On December 20, 2008 President-elect Obama introduced the team of men and women who will head up the nation's major scientific departments.

Transcript:

Over the past few weeks, Vice President-Elect Biden and I have announced some of the leaders who will advise us as we seek to meet America’s twenty-first century challenges, from strengthening our security, to rebuilding our economy, to preserving our planet for our children and grandchildren. Today, I am pleased to announce members of my science and technology team whose work will be critical to these efforts.

Whether it’s the science to slow global warming; the technology to protect our troops and confront bioterror and weapons of mass destruction; the research to find life-saving cures; or the innovations to remake our industries and create twenty-first century jobs—today, more than ever before, science holds the key to our survival as a planet and our security and prosperity as a nation. It is time we once again put science at the top of our agenda and worked to restore America’s place as the world leader in science and technology.

Right now, in labs, classrooms and companies across America, our leading minds are hard at work chasing the next big idea, on the cusp of breakthroughs that could revolutionize our lives. But history tells us that they cannot do it alone. From landing on the moon, to sequencing the human genome, to inventing the Internet, America has been the first to cross that new frontier because we had leaders who paved the way: leaders like President Kennedy, who inspired us to push the boundaries of the known world and achieve the impossible; leaders who not only invested in our scientists, but who respected the integrity of the scientific process.

Because the truth is that promoting science isn’t just about providing resources—it’s about protecting free and open inquiry. It’s about ensuring that facts and evidence are never twisted or obscured by politics or ideology. It’s about listening to what our scientists have to say, even when it’s inconvenient—especially when it’s inconvenient. Because the highest purpose of science is the search for knowledge, truth and a greater understanding of the world around us. That will be my goal as President of the United States—and I could not have a better team to guide me in this work.

Dr. John Holdren has agreed to serve as Assistant to the President for Science and Technology and Director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. John is a professor and Director of the Program on Science, Technology, and Public Policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, as well as President and Director of the Woods Hole Research Center. A physicist renowned for his work on climate and energy, he’s received numerous honors and awards for his contributions and has been one of the most passionate and persistent voices of our time about the growing threat of climate change. I look forward to his wise counsel in the years ahead.

John will also serve as a Co-Chair of the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology—or PCAST—as will Dr. Harold Varmus and Dr. Eric Lander. Together, they will work to remake PCAST into a vigorous external advisory council that will shape my thinking on the scientific aspects of my policy priorities.

Dr. Varmus is no stranger to this work. He is not just a path-breaking scientist, having won a Nobel Prize for his research on the causes of cancer—he also served as Director of the National Institutes of Health during the Clinton Administration. I am grateful he has answered the call to serve once again.

Dr. Eric Lander is the Founding Director of the Broad Institute at MIT and Harvard and was one of the driving forces behind mapping the human genome—one of the greatest scientific achievements in history. I know he will be a powerful voice in my Administration as we seek to find the causes and cures of our most devastating diseases.

Finally, Dr. Jane Lubchenco has accepted my nomination as the Administrator of NOAA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is devoted to conserving our marine and coastal resources and monitoring our weather. An internationally known environmental scientist and ecologist and former President of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, Jane has advised the President and Congress on scientific matters, and I am confident she will provide passionate and dedicated leadership at NOAA.

Working with these leaders, we will seek to draw on the power of science to both meet our challenges across the globe and revitalize our economy here at home. And I’ll be speaking more after the New Year about how my Administration will engage leaders in the technology community and harness technology and innovation to create jobs, enhance America’s competitiveness and advance our national priorities.

I am confident that if we recommit ourselves to discovery; if we support science education to create the next generation of scientists and engineers right here in America; if we have the vision to believe and invest in things unseen, then we can lead the world into a new future of peace and prosperity. Thank you.

Highly successful investor, Jim Rogers, says the United States economy is going nowhere until the Federal Reserve is abolished. Mr. Rogers has made billions over the years betting on the direction of various national economies.

Thursday, December 18, 2008

The CIA is not supposed to operate inside the United States. Yet, they have their own permanent agent in the Minnesota governor's office. This is according to former Minnesota Governor Jessee Ventura. Do you see Ventura in the mass media very often? Now you know why.

This is from the Central Intelligence Agency website:

Does the CIA spy on Americans? Does it keep a file on you?

By law, the CIA is specifically prohibited from collecting foreign intelligence concerning the domestic activities of US citizens. Its mission is to collect information related to foreign intelligence and foreign counterintelligence. By direction of the president in Executive Order 12333 of 1981 and in accordance with procedures approved by the Attorney General, the CIA is restricted in the collection of intelligence information directed against US citizens. Collection is allowed only for an authorized intelligence purpose; for example, if there is a reason to believe that an individual is involved in espionage or international terrorist activities. The CIA's procedures require senior approval for any such collection that is allowed, and, depending on the collection technique employed, the sanction of the Director of National Intelligence and Attorney General may be required. These restrictions on the CIA have been in effect since the 1970s.

They apparently haven't paid attention to their website. Watch this amazing 10-minute video!

Sunday, December 14, 2008

President Bush recently remarked that he would like to be known as a man who liberated 50 million people. An Iraqi news reporter decided to show his gratitude to President Bush by throwing his shoes at him during a news conference today in Baghdad.

Saturday, December 13, 2008

Remarks of President-elect Barack ObamaRadio Address on the EconomySaturday, December 13, 2008

Good morning.

Earlier this week, we learned that the number of Americans filing their first claim for unemployment insurance rose to a nearly 30-year high. This news reflects the pain that’s been rippling across our entire economy. Jobs are being cut. Wages are being slashed. Credit is tight and people can’t get loans. In cities and towns all across this country, families enter a holiday season with unease and uncertainty.

To end this economic crisis, we must end the mortgage crisis where it began. This all started when Americans took out mortgages they couldn’t afford. Some were reckless, aware of the risks they were accepting, but many were innocent, tricked by lenders out to make a quick buck. With banks creating securities they could not value, and regulators looking the other way, the problem began infecting the whole economy, leading to the crisis we’re now facing.

One in ten families who owns a home is now in some form of distress, the most ever recorded. This is deeply troubling. It not only shakes the foundation of our economy, but the foundation of the American Dream. There is nothing more fundamental than having a home to call your own. It’s not just a place to live or raise your children or return after a hard day’s work -- it’s the cornerstone of a family’s financial security.

To stem the rising tide of foreclosures and strengthen our economy, I’ve asked my economic team to develop a bold plan that will dramatically increase the number of families who can stay in their homes. But this plan will only work with a comprehensive, coordinated federal effort to make it a reality. We need every part of our government working together -- from the Treasury Department to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the agency that protects the money you’ve put in the bank. And few will be more essential to this effort than the Department of Housing and Urban Development.

From providing shelter to those displaced by Katrina to giving help to those facing the loss of a home to revitalizing our cities and communities, HUD’s role has never been more important. Since its founding, HUD has been dedicated to tearing down barriers in access to affordable housing -- in an effort to make America more equal and more just. Too often, these efforts have had mixed results.

That is why we cannot keep doing things the old Washington way. We cannot keep throwing money at the problem, hoping for a different result. We need to approach the old challenge of affordable housing with new energy, new ideas, and a new, efficient style of leadership. We need to understand that the old ways of looking at our cities just won’t do. That means promoting cities as the backbone of regional growth by not only solving the problems in our cities, but seizing the opportunities in our growing suburbs, exurbs, and metropolitan areas. No one knows this better than the outstanding public servant I am announcing today as our next Secretary of Housing and Urban Development -- Shaun Donovan.

As Commissioner of Housing Preservation and Development in New York City, Shaun has led the effort to create the largest housing plan in the nation, helping hundreds of thousands of our citizens buy or rent their homes. Prior to joining Mayor Bloomberg’s administration, Shaun worked both in business, where he was responsible for affordable housing investments, and at one of our nation’s top universities, where he researched and wrote about housing issues. This appointment represents something of a homecoming for Shaun, who worked at HUD in the Clinton administration, leading an effort to help make housing affordable for nearly two million Americans. Trained as an architect, Shaun understands housing down to how homes are designed, built, and wired.

With experience that stretches from the public sector to the private sector to academia, Shaun will bring to this important post fresh thinking, unencumbered by old ideology and outdated ideas. He understands that we need to move past the stale arguments that say low-income Americans shouldn’t even try to own a home or that our mortgage crisis is due solely to a few greedy lenders. He knows that we can put the dream of owning a home within reach for more families, so long as we’re making loans in the right way, and so long as those who buy a home are prepared for the responsibilities of homeownership.

In the end, expanding access to affordable housing isn’t just about caring for the least fortunate among us and strengthening our middle class -- it’s about ending our housing mess, climbing out of our financial crisis, and putting our economy on the path to long-term growth and prosperity. And that is what Shaun and I will work to do together when I am President of the United States.

The Republican Party did not bat an eyelash when it gave Wall Street $700 billion based upon a simple 3-page request, but it screams with outrage that Congress would consider a $15 billion bailout of the three American automobile manufacturers. They blame the workers, never mind the management that owns a fleet of corporate jets and takes hundreds of millions of dollars in bonuses.

The southern state Republicans who have lured foreign manufacturers such as Hyundai, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Nissan, BMW, etc., to develop manufacturing plants in their states are the same ones that stopped the bailout of General Motors, Chrysler and Ford cold. This is insanity if we allow our largest industrial manufacturing base to vanish into oblivion.

These same Republicans who make sure we spend $10 billion per month in Iraq and who have raped our coffers, quote Herbert Hoover of all people, the most inadequate President in modern history prior to George W. Bush as they justify their behavior which is not only un-patriotic, but perhaps treasonous. They are taking every step possible to assure the next President will have a nearly impossible task in saving the American economy. These are the same extremists who rally against any form of universal healthcare while at the same time promoting foreign car manufacturers whose countries provide healthcare for all, and whose cars are not burdened by the extra cost of healthcare that is saddled upon every American car built.

The American middle class will NEVER FORGET. This is the beginning of the end of the party of Big Business. They have stolen billions from the treasury and refuse to this day to even disclose who got money and why, even in the face of Freedom of Information Act requests.

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